A member of the Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces—including the National Army and the Taiz Axis forces—mans a mounted gun at the back of a pickup truck at a checkpoint on the Kadha frontline, west of Taiz (western Yemen), on Sept. 13, 2026. (Credit: AFP photo)

As Iran tightens the screws, Saudi Arabia runs out of options

A dialogue scheduled for Monday in Oman between Tehran and the Gulf states was ultimately postponed.

14 Sep 2026, 15:07 by Dany MOUDALLAL · L'Orient Today

For the past seven months, Saudi Arabia has tried to avoid becoming a party to the war unfolding around it. But Riyadh is running out of options.To the east, shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remains heavily disrupted by the confrontation between Iran and the United States. To the west, the Houthis have tightened their grip on Yemen’s Red Sea coast and the area around Bab al-Mandeb. And in between, drones launched from Iraq by Iran-backed groups have shown that even the East-West Pipeline — Riyadh’s main route for bypassing Hormuz — remains vulnerable.The kingdom is increasingly caught between threats on three fronts. Missed this analysis? Why the Houthis’ victory matters far beyond Yemen ‘Saudi deterrence has collapsed’The war in Yemen began intensifying again in July. At first, the anti-Houthi camp sought to project...

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